


A Day at the Beach

by windychimes



Category: Bastion
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-04
Updated: 2014-08-04
Packaged: 2018-02-11 18:56:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,080
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2079387
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/windychimes/pseuds/windychimes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Zia, the Kid, and Zulf enjoy a day at the beach together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Day at the Beach

**Author's Note:**

> For an anon who requested a KidZiaZulf threeway

Zia lies on the beach with her sunglasses on and watches the world pass by. The air smells of salt and sand and birds caw overhead. In the water, the Kid and Zulf have a swimming contest, and they have not come back yet. Rucks sleeps with a book over his face in the shade of an umbrella. This is Zia’s favorite stop so far; they’ve found a few towns during their travels, but this time they found a whole island, one that sold exciting things like ‘swimming suits’ and ‘sunglasses’ and ‘iced cream.’ Zia thinks about getting another iced cream, but it is hot, and she is tired, and it is nice to rest and not do anything.

“Zia!” Out of the corner of her eye Zia sees the Kid running towards her, dripping wet and grinning. “I won the contest.”

Zulf follows shortly behind the Kid. “Barely,” he says. “You got lucky.”

Zia says, “Cool,” instead of telling them she doesn’t care.

The Kid shakes his shaggy hair out like a dog and splashes Zia. “Come out to the water,” he tells her, “It’s nice.”

“Maybe later,” she replies. She wipes the droplets off her arm and says, “Kid, would you buy me another iced cream?”

She gives him the best smile she can and squeezes her chest together. She doesn’t have much of a chest, but it’s enough to get the Kid’s cheeks red. “Be right back,” he tells her, and bolts off.

Zulf makes a face. “Don’t do that,” he chides. “It’s unbecoming. You don’t have to… expose yourself to get things.”

“Maybe I want to.” Zia grins at him. “I bet I could get the Kid to do anything.”

“You probably could,” Zulf sighs. He pulls at the strap of her swimsuit. “You should cover up; this is so… tight. And there’s so little of it. You should have at least gotten the one piece.”

Zia shrugs. “I liked the two piece. It’s a pretty shade of blue. The Kid likes it, too.”

“Of course he likes it. I’m sure he’d like it better if you didn’t wear it at all.”

Zia laughs and turns on her stomach. “Don’t be such a grouch, Zulf. Stop whining.”

Zulf ignores her and asks, “Did you put the sun blocker on your back? You’ll get burnt if you don’t.”

“I want to be tan like a Cael girl.” Zia kicks her legs back and forth and props her chin up on her palm. “I want to be a Cael girl.”

“No, you don’t.” Out of the corner of her eye, Zia sees Zulf scoop some sun blocker out of the jar. The locals had said the Kid and Rucks would be fine, as they were already tan, but Zia and Zulf should be careful with their pale skin. Zulf’s heeded their warning well, but Zia’s completely ignored it. “You should be proud to be Ura,” he continues, and lays his hands on her back.

“Zulf!” Zia squeaks. “Your hands are cold! What are you doing?”

“Putting on the sun blocker. Hold still.” He rubs circles into her back, kneading the thick lotion into her skin, and rambles on about the Ura. Zia doesn’t listen. It’s cold, but it’s nice to get a massage, and Zia stretches out with a pleased hum. He works on her back first, then her shoulders, then her calves. His touch is light as he moves up her legs, and Zia inhales sharply when his fingers graze her inner thighs. He’s stopped speaking; a silence neither can break hangs between them. He goes slow, kneading deep, his hands inching further between her thighs. Zia’s breath catches in her throat and stays there as his hands move higher. They’re between her thighs now, rubbing deep, his thumbs close to brushing the cheeks of her ass. His hands stop, trembling, and Zulf whispers, “Zia.”

“What are you guys doing?”

Zulf’s hands jerk away and Zia turns over to lie on her back. The Kid stands before them, frowning, clutching her iced cream, his hand shaking. Zia sits up and holds out her hand and says, “Zulf was putting the sun blocker on me.” She smiles. “Could I have my iced cream? You can do my front when I’m done eating.”

His frowns disappears and he hands her the iced cream. He sits down next to her, and Zulf and the Kid watch her eat in silence. Their attention is more than a little embarrassing; she’s dressed in barely more than underwear and their eyes have been all over her the whole day. Zulf chides the Kid’s actions, but he’s no better. But it’s a little exciting, too. They’ve always paid attention to her, but now, in her brilliant cerulean swimsuit, tight enough to cling to her every small curve, she’s the center of their universe. It’s like being queen, or one of the popular Cael girls. It’s exciting, it’s intoxicating, and she licks her iced cream slowly as they look on. By the time she’s done they’re all blushing and she hands her cone to Zulf and says, “Okay, Kid, you can put on my sun blocker now.”

Zulf frowns but says nothing as he bites into the empty cone of her iced cream. Brushing her hair over her shoulder and taking off her sunglasses, Zia lies back and stretches out. The Kid scoops the sun blocker out of the jar, and with trembling hands he smears it on her stomach. Zia shivers at the cold cream, but relaxes when he starts to work it into her skin. The callouses on his large hands feel strange, but it’s not bad, and something about it is comforting. All of the Kid is comforting; he’s so large, and stable, and Zia feels safe whenever he’s around. He massages the cream into her stomach, then her shoulders and arms, and his hands hover over her chest until Zulf clears his throat and the Kid jerks his hands away. Instead he goes to her calves, and like Zulf, he travels up her legs, going slowly once he reaches her thighs. It’s just like before as the Kid kneads her flesh, grabbing her, squeezing her, but this time it’s the Kid’s thick, tan fingers instead of Zulf’s thin, pale ones. He stops when he’s at the tops of her thighs and his thumbs brush between them, so close to giving her the intimate touch she’s never felt before. Her breath slows, grows shallow, and the Kid doesn’t move his hands until Zulf says, “That’s enough.”

“Let’s go swimming now,” the Kid says, looking away to hide his burning cheeks. “You got your iced cream. Should enjoy the water.”

“But I don’t know how to swim,” Zia whines. She sits up and pouts. “Could you carry me?”

“Sure,” the Kid says, and kneels. “Get on my shoulders.”

Zia climbs onto his back and swings her legs over his neck. “Onwards, my noble steed!” she laughs, and pats him on the head.

The Kid returns her laughter and walks towards the water, holding onto her by her legs. The Kid isn’t very tall, but up on his shoulders, Zia can see everything. He goes into the water until he’s waist deep and Zia squeals when her toes touch the water.

“It’s cold!” She squirms on his shoulders. “You didn’t tell me it was cold!”

The Kid laughs and squeezes her calves. “Not so bad. If you went all the way in, you’d get used to it.”

“I told you, I can’t swim.” She tugs at his hair, then looks over her shoulder and says, “Hey, where’d Zulf go?”

“Beats me,” says the Kid, and he continues forward. “Found a cove or somethin’ when I was swimming with Zulf. Wanna check it out?”

“Sure!” Zia chirps. “Lead the way.”

The Kid wades through the water and they fall into the silence they’ve grown so used to. The Kid’s silence used to make her nervous, but now it’s a comfort, just like the Kid is. Something stable and strong, something bound to never fail. She runs her fingers through his shaggy sea-soaked her and lets her mind wander to places it shouldn’t. She thinks about his hands on her thighs and wonders what it means. Did he want to touch her? Did he wish the whole world was gone so he could run his hand between her legs with no one to stop him? Would Zia let him do that? No one’s touched her like that before, not even her boyfriend from so long ago. And the Kid, the Kid… does it mean anything if they sometimes kiss when they’re drunk? That one time he settled his heavy weight on top of her, and touched her breasts through her sweater, before saying they shouldn’t, they’re too drunk?

Boys are confusing, and should come with a manual.

“We’re here.”

Zia snaps out her daydreams and looks around. The cove is small, so low her head nearly brushes the stone ceiling, and the water at the Kid’s waist is clear and blue with bright green plants surrounding his feet. He kneels, the water up to his neck now, and Zia slides off his shoulders. The water is at her waist, too, and she grabs onto his arm to steady herself. The Kid looks down at her hand and doesn’t say anything. She doesn’t let go.

“Like it?” the Kid asks, more than a little breathless.

The silence is broken, the secret between them, and she lets go of his arm and takes a few steps back. “It’s nice,” she says. She smiles. “Thank you for taking me here.”

The Kid smiles back, the sunshine smile he shows only her. A moment of stillness between them, and Zia musters up her courage and says, “Hey, Kid… you wanna try something?”

Already the Kid’s cheeks are turning red beneath his bronzy skin. “Like what?”

“Like… like skinny dipping.” Zia can feel her ears burn. She heard the other girls at school talk about it once before, and it always seemed so exciting, and daring, and bold. And if the Kid says yes, surely that means he likes her, and wants her, and they’re all alone with no one to stop them. “I’ve, I’ve always wanted to try, but… I’ve never had a chance.”

“Oh,” the Kid croaks. He swallows hard. “Y, you sure?”

Zia nods, and holds her hands behind her back to hide their shaking. “Yeah, I’m sure. I… I’ll go first.”

Before the Kid can say anything, before Zia can think better, she pulls her swimsuit top off over her head. She places it on the rocks besides her, and avoids looking at the Kid’s face. Next comes her bottom, and Zia can’t hide the shaking of her hands as she slips them off. She stands in front of the Kid, completely naked, the water clear enough to expose all of her. Resisting the urge to cover herself, Zia mumbles, “Your turn.”

“Don’t… don’t think I should.” The Kid can barely keep his eyes on Zia’s face. “Not, not really acting appropriate right now.”

“I did it, so you should, too. It’s only fair.”

“Guess you’re right,” the Kid mumbles. “Just… no getting mad.”

The Kid hooks his fingers in the waist of his swim trunks, hesitates, then pulls them down. Zia gasps and looks away; the Kid’s cock is hard and thick, and Zia’s never seen one before, and especially not like that.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” the Kid sputters, pulling back up his trunks. “Just that, you’re, you’re real pretty, and naked, and, and—”

Zia takes a deep breath and looks back. Even with his swim trunks on, Zia can still see the outline of his cock. “It’s okay, Kid. I… I was just surprised. I, um… I didn’t mind.” She stares down at her feet. “I’d like to see it again.”

“Really? Don’t have to. Don’t wanna make you uncomfortable.” Zia looks up at the Kid and the Kid looks away, running his fingers through his hair. “I, I shouldn’t. Not right.”

Zia closes the distance between them. Pressing her body to his, her small breasts against his chest, his cock rubbing up between her legs, Zia whispers into his ear, “Kid, please… I want this. I want you.”

“Mean it?” The Kid’s trembling hands find their way to her waist and he squeezes. “Don’t want you to regret this.”

“I mean it,” Zia breathes, and she wraps her arms around his neck and kisses him. The Kid kisses back, long and slow and deep, better than when they’re drunk, and his hand slides down to grab her ass. Zia gasps against his lips, but she doesn’t stop kissing him. She never wants to stop kissing him. It’s safe in his arms, in his touch, and he’ll never hurt her, not ever. She can trust him with everything.

“What are you two doing?”

The Kid and Zia startle but don’t part. Zia looks over her shoulder and there stands Zulf, tears in the corners of his eyes. “You two are, are…”

Zulf has never kissed Zia, or touched her, but she’s always thought, maybe. Maybe the brushing of their hands meant something, maybe their quietly shared stories, maybe when they’re alone together at night and he whispers her name but stops before he says anything more. Maybe today, with his hands on her thighs, so close to touching her ass, maybe that means something.

Zia looks back at the Kid. Zulf looks so upset… maybe, maybe she should invite him? It’s a long shot, but it’s worth a try, and she likes the idea of having both of them. She’s never let herself think much of it, but she’s always liked the idea of having both of them. Biting her lip, she asks, “Can he… can he join us?”

The Kid looks between the two, and is quiet a long moment. “Guess so,” he finally settles on. “Like… like the both of you. Like both of you a lot.”

“Me, too,” Zia whispers. She looks back at Zulf. “Do you like us?”

“I, um, well.” Zulf swallows hard. “I am, rather fond of the both of you.”

“It’s settled, then.” Zia disentangles herself from the Kid and crawls onto the grassy bank. “You’re part of this now.”

Zia isn’t entirely sure what ‘this’ is, but they can figure it out later. Right now she has more important things to think about.

The Kid and Zulf follow after her. Zia crawls on her hands and knees, and she can feel their eyes on her, staring at her most intimate places, dirty thoughts running through their heads. She looks over her shoulder and asks, “So… um, how should we do this?”

“We could… we could have one in front, and one in back,” Zulf says, his cheeks burning red. He kneels in front of Zia, and the Kid follows suit. “If, if you don’t mind, that is.”

“Dibs on the back,” the Kid says.

“You can’t do it like that,” Zulf replies, scowling. “I’m the one who suggested it.”

“I was here first. Should get first choice.”

“That’s not how it works!”

“If you two keep fighting, I’m going to leave.” Zia moves into a sitting position and folds her arms across her chest. “I don’t want to listen to you guys argue. I’m not some object you can fight over.”

“Sorry,” says the Kid.

“Sorry,” says Zulf.

Zia looks to the Kid and bites her lip. “I… I don’t know if you should be in, in the back. You’re really, um, thick. I don’t know if it will fit.” She looks to Zulf. “Are you, is yours, like the Kid’s?”

Zulf looks between the Kid’s legs and the redness of his cheeks spreads to his whole face. “N, no. Mine isn’t like that.”

“Should at least show her,” the Kid says, and shoves his hand in Zulf’s swim trunks. Zulf makes a strangled noise in the back of his throat, but any protest he might have dies when the Kid begins to stroke him. Zulf pumps his hips in time to the Kid’s strokes, tilting his head back as his breathing grows heavy. Zia crawls over and pulls Zulf’s trunks down. Even with the Kid’s big hand wrapped around Zulf’s cock, she can still get a good view of it; it’s longer than the Kid’s, but not as thick, and will fit better. She pulls the Kid’s trunks down, too, and wraps her hand around his cock. She follows the Kid’s movements, going slow, and licks the tip of his cock. The Kid shudders and whimpers, and when she repeats the motion on Zulf, he has the same reaction. Zulf grabs the Kid by the hair and pulls him in for a kiss, and the Kid moans into Zulf’s mouth when Zia swallows the head of his cock. She watches them as she sucks the Kid’s cock, both of them moaning too much to kiss properly. The Kid’s hand moves quicker around Zulf’s cock, his movement growing sloppy. Zia quickens her movements, too, and rubs him faster. She pulls her head away from the Kid’s cock and goes back to licking at the tip, occasionally doing the same to Zulf.

“Wait a sec,” the Kid says between kisses. “Don’t want this over before it starts. Let’s get to the good part.”

Zia lets go of the Kid’s cock, but not before giving it one last lick. The Kid gives Zulf one last stroke before letting go, and he sits back. He strips off his shorts, and Zulf does the same, and Zia settles her face between the Kid’s legs. She nuzzles his cock, running her tongue from base to tip, and the Kid can’t hold back a moan. She read about this in a book before, the romance books she read so long ago, so she has an idea of what to do. Sort of. She’ll figure it out. Zulf gets behind her, and his hands run along her side, reaching up to cup her breasts, before sliding back down to grab her ass. Zia coos and rolls her hips back, trying to get more of his touch, but his hands leave. Before she can ask why he stopped, his mouth is on her, kissing and sucking at her thighs. They move up and inward, and when his tongue drags between her legs, Zia can’t hold back a moan.

“Oh!” she squeaks. Zulf’s tongue leaves her and she wiggles her hips to get it back. “No, no, keep going, please.”

Zulf’s tongue returns to run along her folds, lapping at her before dipping his tongue inside. Zia whines low in the back of her throat, rolling her hips back to get more. He doesn’t hold back and he curls his tongue inside of her, thrusting it in as deeply as he can. Zia buries her head in the Kid’s lap and bucks against Zulf’s face, trembling and whimpering into the Kid’s thigh.

“Don’t forget about me,” the Kid says as he runs his fingers through Zia’s hair. “Want some attention, too.”

“Right,” Zia breathes, nuzzling his cock in apology. “Sorry.”

She goes back to licking the Kid’s cock, running her tongue all around the sides before taking the head in her mouth. The Kid gasps and jerks forward, burying half his cock in Zia’s mouth. It’s a little much, but that doesn’t stop Zia; she bobs her head back and forth, sucking hard, moaning around it when Zulf draws his tongue out from inside her and instead sucks on her clit. She was already wet just from watching the Kid and Zulf, but with Zulf’s mouth on her, she’s uncomfortably so. She wants Zulf inside her now, needs Zulf inside her, and she pulls her head back from the Kid’s cock to say, “Zulf, please. Give it to me.”

Zulf gives her one last, slow lick before pulling his head away. He lines his cock up with her slit and thrusts forward. “Oh Gods,” he gasps. “Oh Gods.” Zia whimpers as tears prickle at the corners of her eyes; it hurts, it hurts a lot, much more than she expected. She hides her face in the Kid’s lap again and the Kid runs his fingers through her hair, shushing her.

“You okay?” He tilts her head up so they’re looking eye to eye. “Don’t gotta keep going if you don’t wanna.”

“I want to,” she whispers. She does want to; it hurts, but it’s supposed to feel good, and if she just sticks it out it will. That’s what she read, so it must be true. But if she keeps focusing on the pain, it’ll just hurt worse, so instead she goes back to licking the Kid’s cock. She nuzzles her face to his balls, sucking on one gently as her hand wraps around his cock. The Kid’s cock twitches and she does it again, still sucking as she strokes him.

“Faster,” he grunts, thrusting his hips up. “C’mon, please.”

Zia tightens her grip and strokes him faster as she takes the head of his cock in her mouth. She moves her head in time with her hand, tight, quick, tonguing the underside of his cock. The Kid whimpers and tangles his fingers into her hair, pulling and pushing. Behind her, Zulf pumps into her slowly, his hands sliding up from her hips to grope her breasts. One of the Kid’s hand try to grab a breast, but Zulf’s hand is already there. Instead of fighting over it, like usual, the Kid places his hand over Zulf’s, and Zulf interlocks their fingers. It’s really the three of them like that; they’re all connect now, all touching, all feeling. This relationship, whatever it is, isn’t just two and two, but three of them, together always. She could be happy with just one of them, but having both of them, that’s what she really wants, what she really needs.

“How, how are you feeling?” Zulf pants, still going slow, not all the way in, not all the way out. “Does it still hurt?”

The pain of Zulf’s initial penetration isn’t as bad, and although it still stings, there’s something better building, something good, something she wants more of, needs more of. She pulls her head back just long enough to say, “Keep going,” before swallowing the Kid’s cock again. The Kid’s breathing is ragged and he tugs at her hair, urging her to take more of his cock. She obliges, and swallows it completely, but quickly jerks her head back, coughing and choking.

“Sorry,” the Kid mumbles, untangling his fingers and stroking her hair. She takes his cock in her mouth again and he keeps his hips still, settling on petting her head and running his fingers through his hair as she sucks. It’s hard to suck the Kid’s cock as Zulf thrusts into her, going faster, going deeper. The pain from before has settled to a dull ache, a good ache, and she’s growing close to something, something she can’t name but something she knows is good. The Kid is getting close to it, too, she’s pretty sure; his hand trembles in her hair and his breathing is heavy, his face flushed, his eyes closed. She takes a deep breath and swallows as much of his cock as she can, almost the whole thing. He pumps them once, twice, and he’s coming, splashing the back of her throat.

Zia pulls back, coughing, and swallows with a grimace. The Kid smiles sheepishly and pats her on the head. “Sorry,” he repeats. “You okay?”

Zia wants to be mad, but Zulf is still pounding away at her and she’s at the point where she can barely think. She can’t be mad when she’s feeling this good. Again her face finds its way into the Kid’s lap and she croons against his skin, her hips rolling back to meet Zulf’s thrusts. Zulf and the Kid’s hands rove over her body, rubbing her back and sides and breasts. Zulf grabs her hips and there’s a strength in his grip, but a gentleness, too. That’s the kind of safety Zulf gives her, an unyielding strength below tender touches. It’s different than the Kid’s more obvious strength, but it’s good, it’s just as good, and she’s glad to have it, glad to have the safety of both of them. Neither of them will hurt her, she knows. They’ll take care of her, and protect her, and she’ll be safe, always be safe. Zia’s broken out of her thoughts when Zulf gives a particularly hard thrust, hard enough to make Zia gasp and jerk forward.

“Oh, Gods,” she moans. “Do that again.”

Zulf’s grip on her hips tighten and he slams into her again, getting in deep, filling her completely. Zia moans low in the back of her throat, a shudder passing through her. She squirms back against him, her hips moving in time with his thrusts. Still that something is building, something good, something she’s just on the verge of getting. She wants to voice her needs but nothing will come out, and instead she settles for whimpering and gasping into the Kid’s lap. The Kid runs his fingers through her hair, massaging her scalp and stroking her back. She presses her head into his touch, cooing softly. She wonders if they can do this every day, if she can always be trapped between them, touched, pleasured, act as their whole world.

“Zia,” Zulf starts, panting, “Zia, I’m so close. Are you? I, I don’t want to come inside.”

“Almost,” Zia groans, wiggling her hips. “Just, just a little more.”

Zulf whimpers but doesn’t stop thrusting. Almost there, almost there, she just needs a little more… Zulf reaches beneath her and strums his thumb across her clit. Zia shudders and Zulf repeats the motion, rubbing the sensitive nub again and again. Zia bucks back against him, then forward, torn between focusing on the pleasure of his cock or the pleasure of his hand. She begins to shake, and the Kid slides his hand from her back to her breast, squeezing and rolling his nipple between his fingers. Zulf drapes his body over her and bites her neck and Zia is done. She orgasms, bucking against Zulf, whimpering and gasping into the Kid’s thigh. She keeps rolling, rolling, rolling against him, trying to squeeze out all the pleasure she can before it’s over. Zulf jerks out and Zia whimpers, still rolling her hips back, already missing his cock. His comforting weight is gone for a moment, but then he collapses on top of her, and Zia collapses into the Kid’s lap, and they lay there for a long while, panting, exhausted. Eventually, the Kid slides away, and Zia’s head sinks into the grass. Zulf rolls off Zia to lie next to her, and the Kid cuddles up to her other side, and they stay like that for long moments, just enjoying each other’s company. The Kid kisses her, and then Zulf kisses her, and then they kiss each other, and they go back and forth like that for a while, all kissing each other, all moving as one.

“Should probably head back,” the Kid says, once they’ve all grown too breathless to kiss anymore. “Getting late.”

“Don’t wanna,” Zia says, stretching out. “It’s nice here.”

“It is rather late,” Zulf points out. Slowly, he stands, and adds, “I’ll grab our clothing.”

He leaves Zia side and Zia whines. Right now, all she wants to do is stay where she is, safe in their arms, and fall asleep. She wonders if she can do that later. If they can all be in one tent and hold each other and sleep like that, stay like that, never leave each other. She wishes she knew what all of this meant; she likes the both of them, she likes the both of them a lot, but she’s not sure where they stand. They had sex, but it might mean something different to boys. Maybe to boys it’s just sex and nothing more.

Again she wishes that boys came with an instruction manual.

Zulf comes back and hands them their swimsuits. As the Kid wiggles into his, Zia pulls on her swimsuit bottoms, wincing as she moves. “Are you alright?” Zulf asks, mouth turning down into a deep frown. “Does it still hurt?”

“A little,” Zia says. A lot, Zia doesn’t say. She smiles weakly. “But it’s fine. Let’s head back.”

The Kid kneels and Zia climbs onto his shoulders. Zulf’s still frowning, but it disappears when she holds her hand out to him. He takes it, and the Kid takes her other hand, and they head back like that, all connected as one. A silence settles over them, and Zia wills her mind to be clear. She should enjoy her time with them, whatever that time may mean. That’s all that matters now. Now the sting between her legs, or the butterflies in her stomach, but holding their hands, the warmth in their fingers. That’s what’s important to right now.

When they reach the beach they let go of each other. Rucks raises his brows but says nothing. It is late, so late only the moon and the twinkling stars light up the sky, and they are all exhausted. Few words are exchanged before bed, and they all go to their tents. Zia lays awake, thinking about the day, thinking about what it means. Just as her thoughts run her into an exhausted sleep, her tent flap opens. She sits up, and in walk the Kid and Zulf, dressed in their pajamas.

“Hey,” the Kid whispers. He scratches the back of his head. “Me and Zulf… we were wondering if we could spend the night. Not, not to do anything. Just to be with you.”

Zulf nods. Both their faces burn red. Zia bites her lip. “I’d like that,” she murmurs, her own cheeks burning. “I’d like that a lot.”

Zia lies back and they come to her sides, lying down with her and wrapping their arms around her. The Kid and Zulf interlock their fingers, cradling her in their embrace. She’s still not entirely what this means, but it’s something special, and that’s good enough for her. Being in their arms, all of them connected, their hearts beating in unison… yeah, that’s good enough for her.


End file.
